» Blackjack History The origin of the game Blackjack is still discussed. Blackjack have elements of French “Vingt-Un” (21), “Trente et Quarente” (20 and 30), “Chemin de Fer” (Railroad), Spanish “One and Thirty” and Italian “Baccara” and “Seven and a Half”. For some time casinos and gambling houses were forbidden. In the Western part of the USA gambling was legal from the 1850’s to 1910. In Nevada gambling was illegal from 1910 to 1931. In 1931 gambling was legalized in Nevada. Casino gambling and Blackjack were very popular. The most popular types of Blackjack were played with one or two decks. In 1956 the first article about Blackjack was printed. The first article about Blackjack was titled “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack”. In “The Optimum Strategy in Blackjack” Roger Baldwin wrote about some strategies. Roger Baldwin explained how to reduce the “House”, or casino, advantage based upon probability and statistics. “Beat the Dealer” was published in 1962 by the Mathematics Professor Edward O. It was Edward O. Thorp who developed and wrote about the first card counting systems. A lot of people read books about casinos, casino games and gambling. When Blackjack rules were changed in some casinos most people stopped playing Blackjack. Casinos had to change Blackjack rules back to attract players. Thorp’s book ended up making money for casinos, as it increased the amount of Blackjack being played. Thorp’s strategy seemed complicated and difficult for some players. Julian Braun was one of the most important contributors to modern Blackjack strategy. Mr Braun improved Dr. Thorp’s code. Troph, Braun and others made Blackjack very popular. Blackjack History

» The Card Values. The numbered cards (2-10) have a numerical value equal to the number printed on the card. All face cards (Jack, Queen and King) as well as Tens have the value of ten. Aces may be counted as either eleven or one. In blackjack card suits are of no importance. It si up to you to decide how to value aces Card Value in Blackjack

» Soft and Hard Hands. Aces can be valued differently. If you hold no aces or have an ace in your hand that counts as one, you have a "hard hand". Think of an ace in your hand as "soft" because the hand value can always be reduced. You can never bust when you hit a soft hand Soft and Hard Hands in Blackjack

» Insurance. The insurance option is simply another form of wager that is offered to the players when the dealer has an ace showing. The insurance bet costs one-half your original wager, and the payoff is 2:1. If you win the insurance bet, the dealer will pay you by simply leaving your original wager on the table Insurance

» Surrender. Many casinos do not allow any form of surrender rule. "Late Surrender" doesn't allow the player to surrender until the dealer has ascertained that he does not have a blackjack. "Early Surrender" allows a player to surrender his hand even before a dealer can determine whether he has a blackjack Surrender

Blackjack Casinos

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